Annealing apparatus



April 2, 1963 s. v. LEONARD 3,083,556

ANNEALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 10, 1961 INVENTOR. STEPHEN V. LEONARD :ZAMW

ATTORNEY United rates Patent 3,083,556 AllNEALlNG AIPARATUS Stephen V. Leonard, Decatur, Ala, assignor, by rnesne assigments, to Monsanto Chemical (Iompany, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 10, 195.1, Ser. No. 151,481 6 Claims. (Cl. 68-5) This invention relates to annealing apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for annealing a continuous moving tow or filament of thermoplastic material.

In the manufacture of thermoplastic man-made fibers an annealing step is almost always necessary to give the fibers desired physical properties and desired dyeing characteristics. One of the most common methods of carrying out the annealing step is to seal a batch of tow in a chamber and apply steam. The obvious disadvantage of the batch type annealing operation is that it is slow. A continuous process where the two is passed continuously through a sealed chamber is much more desirable, since it conserves both time and space. However, most continuous processes are not practical, for the reason that it is diflicult to find an eflicient seal through which the tow can be passed into and out of the steam chamber. Inasmuch as high pressure steam is used, most seals will not efiectively seal the chamber. With this in mind, one of the objects of this invention is to provide a novel and improved annealing apparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for continuously annealing a strand.

A further object of this invention is to provide a seal for a continuous annealer.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a rotating seal for advancing a strand into an annealing chamber without leakage of the annealing medium from the chamber.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a steam chamber seal having a pair of rollers carrying flexible vanes or flaps which engage walls of the chamber to prevent the leakage of steam therefrom.

One embodiment of the present invention contemplates an annealing chamber having each end thereof a pair of tow-advancing rolls each of which has attached thereto a plurality of spaced flexible vanes which extend at acute angles from the peripheries of the rolls. The flexible vanes on each roll engage arcuate surfaces on the end walls of the chamber and the vanes of the cooperating roll to prevent leakage of stream from the chamber while passing a tow therethrough.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which FIGURE 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the invention with a portion broken away to show the sealing rolls at one end of the chamber.

FIGURE 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 showing the arrangement for driving the sealing rolls, and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the manner in which the flexible vanes are secured to the sealing rolls.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a closed annealing chamber 11 is shown provided with a steam inlet line 12 and a steam exhaust line 13. High pressure steam enters through the line 12 and is diffused by a nozzle 16 secured to the line 12. The purpose of this steam is to anneal a tow or bundle of thermoplastic filaments 17 passing through the chamber 11.

Cooperating sealing rolls 14 and 15 are provided at each end of the chamber 11 for advancing the tow 17 therethrough. The rolls 14 and 15 are attached to and mounted on shafts 19 and 20, respectively, which are connected by meshing gears 24 and 25 (FIG. 2) mounted on the shafts 19 and 20. A motor 26 (FIG. 2) acts through a shaft 27 and a pulley 28 to drive a belt 29 which rotates a pulley 33 on the shaft 19 to drive the sealing rolls 14 and 15.

Each of the sealing rolls 14 and 15 is provided with a plurality of flexible vanes 37 attached by screws 38 as best shown in FIG. 3. The vanes normally extend at acute angles from the periphery of the rolls but are flexible so that they bend and slide along semi-cylindrical or arcuate surfaces 39 and 40 of recesses in the end wall of the chamber 11 to seal the chamber. The flexible vanes on each of the rolls engage the arcuate surfaces 39 or 40 and the vanes on the other roll to completely seal the chamber 11, the tow 17 passing between the rolls and out of the chamber through an opening 43 in the end wall of the chamber. Thin, flat gaskets 50 positioned between the ends of the rolls 14 and 15- and the ends of the semicylindrical recesses prevent steam leakage past the ends of the rolls.

The structure of the opposite end of the apparatus is the same, with the exception that the pulley 44, which corresponds to the pulley 33, is larger than the pulley 33. This causes the sealing rolls -(-not shown) at the left end of the chamber 11 to feed the tow 11 into the chamber at -a faster rate than it is removed by the sealing rolls at the right end of the chamber. This allows the tow to shrink under the influence of the steam in the chamber. A housing 46 having therein an opening 47 attached to the chamber 11 to cover the rolls 14 and 15.

In operation of the apparatus, steam is passed into the chamber 11 through the inlet line 12 to heat and anneal the continuously moving filament or tow 17. The motor 26 drives the belt 29 to rotate the rolls 14 and 15. The rotating rolls 14 and 15 carry the tow through the annealing chamber 11 while at the same time sealing the chamber to prevent the escape of steam therefrom.

This sealing action is very efficient, event where high pressure steam is used, since the flexible vanes 37 on each roll tightly engage the arcuate surfaces 39 and 40 of the end wall of the chamber and the vanes on the cooperating roll. The gaskets 50 prevent any leakage past the ends of the rolls. Of course, this seal can be used in any application where it is desired to seal off an area through which a strand or filament is to be passed.

From this it can be seen that the tow 17 can be continuously advanced through the annealing chamber at a high rate of speed andwith almost no steam leakage.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is merely illustrative and may be modified or amended and that numerous other embodiments may be contemplated which will fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1

1. A seal for confining a pressure medium to an area through which a filament is to be passed, comprising a wall surrounding said area and having therein an opening through which the filament is to be advanced, a pair of rolls positioned adjacent to the wall and on opposite sides of the opening in said wall, and a plurality of flexible vanes attached to each of the rolls for engaging the wall and the other roll to seal the opening.

2. A seal for confining a fluid to an area and for passing a filament into or out of said area, comprising a wall enclosing said area and having therein an opening for the passage of the filament through said wall, a pair of rolls positioned adjacent to said wall on opposite sides of the opening therein, a plurality of flexible vanes secured at acute angles to the peripheries of the rolls, said vanes on each roll engaging the wall and the vanes on the other roll for sealing the opening, and means for rotating the rolls to advance .the filamentthrough theopening in. the wall- 3. A seal for confining a pressure medium to an area through which a filament is to he passed, comprising a wall surrounding said area and having therein an opening through which the filament is to be advanced, said wall having thereon arcuate surfaceson opposite sides of the opening, 'apair o f cooperating rollspositionedadjacent to the 'arcuate surfaces and having thereon a .plurality of flexible elements forengaging eachother and said ,a-rcuate surfaces for sealing the opening, and means for rotating the rolls to move the filament. itherebetween and through the opening. in the .wall.

4. An apparatus for annealing .-a.tow, comprising an annealing chamber havingopenings at the opposite ,ends thereoffor the passage of said tow, a pair of. rolls positi oned at each 'endof the chamber on opposite sides of saidopenihgs, each of said rolls havinga plurality of flexible vanes secured to the periphery. thereof and extending therefrom at acute angles to said periphery, said varies on .each roll engaging thechamber and .the adjacent roll to seal the openings in said chamber, means at the ends of the rolls for preventing leakage of steam .past said ends, and means for rotating the rolls to advance. the tow.

5. An apparatus for annealing a tow, comprising an annealing chamber having a pair of openings at the opposite sides thereof for the passage of a tow, means for injecting steam into the chamber, said chamber having semi-cylindrical recessesin the ends thereof on opposite rolI to seal the chamber while passing the .tow therethrough, and means for rotating the rolls to advance the tow.

6. A seal for confining a pressure medium to an area through which a filament is ,to be passed, comprising a wall surrounding said areaand having therein .Ian opening through which vthe filament isft'o be advancedQs'a'idwall having therein a -pairv of semi-cylindrical recessesbnop'po site sidesof said opening, a pair of cylindrical rolls positioned in the recesses, "anda' plurality of flexible vanes attached to each roll for engaging the .wall of one ofsaid recesses and the other roll to [sea-l said opening."

rRet r a e C t .i fl fi of r e? 1 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,957,937 Campbell May 8, 1934 2,260,128 Walter Oct. 21, 1941 2,844,889 Conbett July 29, 8 

1. A SEAL FOR CONFINING A PRESSURE MEDIUM TO AN AREA THROUGH WHICH A FILAMENT IS TO BE PASSED, COMPRISING A WALL SURROUNDING SAID AREA AND HAVING THEREIN AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH THE FILAMENT IS TO BE ADVANCED, A PAIR OF ROLLS POSITIONED ADJACENT TO THE WALL AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE OPENING IN SAID WALL, AND A PLURALITY OF FLEXIBLE VANES ATTACHED TO EACH OF THE ROLLS FOR ENGAGING THE WALL AND THE OTHER ROLL TO SEAL THE OPENING. 